(Montreal) The country’s two main railway companies are halting more deliveries in anticipation of a possible strike or lockout next week that could disrupt supply chains and industries.
Canadian National Railway (CN) timetables show that starting Friday, it is banning container imports from ports ranging from New York to Mexico City.
CN and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) are also beginning to suspend shipments that require cooler temperatures, such as meat and medicine, to avoid them being held up in the event of a work stoppage.
The two railways have warned that 9,300 engineers, conductors, yard workers and rail traffic controllers will be locked out on Thursday unless they can reach new collective agreements, while the union has also said it is prepared to strike.
The two sides remain at the negotiating table after weeks of stalemate over hours and wages. Chlorine shipments for drinking water were already halted as part of a phased shutdown that is expected to continue next week. On Thursday, federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon rejected a request by CN to impose binding arbitration as time runs out on negotiations.